Pencil



H. L, FISCHER.

PENCIL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE24, 1920.

1,370,420. Patented Mal-1,1921.

FIG.2..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD L. FISCHER, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO BROWN 80 BIGELOW, OF

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

PENCIL.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Application filed June 24, 1920. Serial No. 391,409.

mary object of which is to provide a pencil having a simple construction and particularly adapted to use a thin marking lead. My pencil is composed of'only a few parts, which are simple to manufacture, and easily assembled for use. J v

The invention further provides means for readily determining the length of the unused marking lead 1n the pencil at any time so that the user can tell just how much unused lead remains in the pencil without separating the mechanism which propels the marking lead and without taking the same apart. This feature of the invention is important in the use of the pencil, as it gives the advantage of knowing how much marking lead remains concealed in the 'pencil' without exposing the same.

A further object of the invention is in means providing a spring tension between the operating parts to take up any wear and to prevent the removable portion of the operating mechanism from sliding out of the pencil barrel but allowing a portion of the same to be withdrawn from the barrel when it is desired to know how, much marking lead remains therein.

A feature of the invention is in providing a tubular longitudinally slotted oper-,v

ating member for the propelling mechanism which is provided with means for containing the propeller or lead driver to hold it freely slidable longitudinally therein, but against removal from the same, so that when the tubular operating member is withdrawn from the barrel the lead driver is removed with the same. This construction provides means for preventing the tubular operating member from being entirely withdrawn from the barrel without the lead driving member. The lead driving member forms a stop which tends to yieldably hold the tubular member in the pencil barrel. I

It is also an object of the invention to provide a releasing means for the lead driver of the pencil to protect the projecting portion of the marking lead against a sharp blow in the direction of the length. This releasing means allows the marking lead to move back into the barrel and also causes the driver to be' picked up or engaged by the threads of the propelling means in any position in the pencil without damage to the operating parts of the same. 1

In the drawings forming part of this specification Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of my pencil.

Fi 2 is a side elevation partly in section showing a part of the operating means withdrawn from the barrel. 1

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pencil.

Fig. 4 illustrates in perspective the tubular operating member of the propelling means with the lead driving member removed from the pencil.

Fig. 5' is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the lead driver and socket.

The drawing illustrates the pencil barrel 10, which is made of thin tubular material adapted to inclose the lead propelling means B. v i

The lead propelling means is composed of a tubular threaded member 11 the rear end 12 of which is not threaded, but is expanded to form an enlarged end which friction'ally engages the'inner wall of the rear end of the barrel 10 to hold the threaded member 11 rigidly against rotary or longitudinal movement in the barrel. The. forward edge 13 of the threaded member 11 engages. against the inner surface of the conical end 14 of pencil barrel 10. The edge 12 of the rear enlarged end 12 is flush with the rear edge 15 of the open end of the barrel 10 when the threaded member is inserted in the barrel. It is obvious that the enlarged end 12 of the threaded member can be secured in the barrel by soldering in addition to the frictional means or otherwise fastened rigidly therein.

The operating mechanism B is provided with a tubular driving member 16 havin Patented Mar. ,1, 1921.

is secured to the rear end of the member 16. The forward end of the slot 17 is closed by the lip or shoulder 22, while the, collar 23 on the forward end of the head 21 forms a stop at the rear end of the slot 17. The lead driver 18 is held against disengagement in and from the tubular member 16 between the shoulder 22 and the collar 23. In this .manner the lead driver is held against disengagement from the member 16 after it has been assembled so as toprevent separation of these arts.

The lead driver 18 is formed with a spring tongue 24 projecting from the rear end, which causes thethreads or notches 19 of the same to engage with the inner surface of the threads 20 under spring tension, while a lead holding finger 25 projects from the forward end of the driver 18. The finger 25 carries a lead receiving socket 26 on its outer free end, which is'adapted to receive the marking lead 27 to hold the same in writing and operating position in the .PBIlCil. The finger 25 can be either of a spring or rigid nature so as to assist in holding the notches 19 into engagement with the threads 20. The spring finger 24 forms a frictional engagement between the member 16, driver 18 and the threaded tube 11 to prevent free longitudinal movement of the member 16 in the pencil. However, the member 16 can be withdrawn until the shoulder 22 engages against the forward edge of the member 18 as is illustrated in Fig. 2. When the forward end of the lead is at the end of the conical end 14 and the member 16 is thus withdrawn the distance between the rear edge 15 and the inner surface 28 of the operating head 21 indicates the length of unused lead still remaining in the pencil; thus Fig. 2

illustrates, by the distance between the arrows, the unused portion of lead in the pencil. This figure shows convenient means for indicating to the user of the pencil how much lead still remains for use.

" When the marking lead 27 has been used up in the o eration of the pencil, anew marking lea can be inserted in the socket 26 by unscrewing the driver 18 from the threaded member 11. This is accomplished by rotating the end 21 allowing the member 16 to project out of the pencil as the driver is unscrewed. In the operation of the pencil if an unused portion of the marking lead is projected out of the marking end of the pencil farther than is desired for use it can be withdrawn into the pencil barrel by operating the head 21 in the reverse direction to the forward propelling operation. The rotary movement of the operating, head 21 rotates the member 16 in the threaded member 11 to move the driving member over the threads 20 to propel the same in either direction. When the member 16 is removed the marking lead -w from the encil barrel as illustrated in Fig. 4, the lea driving member 18 is held in forward position in the slot 17, while-the stub of the old markinglead is removedfrom the socket 26 and a new markmg lead inserted in the same. I

' In the assembling of my pencil the tubu lar'shell-like barrel 10 received the threaded member 11 by'the frictional en agement of the enlarged end 12 to hold t e threaded member rigid in the barrel. The lead driver or propeller 18 is inserted in the tubular member 16 with the thread engaging notches projecting through the slot 17 and the shoulder 22 is then bent to close the for-' ward end of the slot. 'Thepropeller is then nally over the same, to release the marking lead in a. backward direction. This protects the marking lead from a sharp blow, caused by dropping the same on the point or otherwise striking the point, ofthe marking lead with suflicient force to cause the driver 18 to move backward. The spring finger 24 also forms resilient means to cause the driving member 18 to be picked up by the threads after it has been forced backward 'to pro 1 it in either direction in the pencil. T is construction revents damage to en the pencil is dropped on the point and also protects the driving member together with the threads and the propelling mechanism. This feature is an important part. of my invention. In accordance with the patent statues I have described the principles of operation of my invention, together with the appara;

tus which I now consider to represent the rotating the operating-- The simplicity of construction- 1. A pencil having a barrel, a lead propelling means, comprising a tubular threaded member rigidly held therein, a rotatable I longitudinally slotted member having an operating head on one end and a spring drivsaid pencil. p 2. A pencil having a barrel, a threaded rotatable member and said threaded member to hold said parts against free movement in member, an unthreaded portion formed on said threaded memberadapted to frictionally engage said barrel to rigidly hold said threaded member, an operating member removably held in said threaded member and a resilient lead driving member adapted to form a frictional engagement between said operating member and said threaded member.

3. A pencil comprising a barrel, a threaded member fixed in said barrel, a tubular' operating. member rotatably and removably held in said barrel, a longitudinal slot extending in said operating member, a lead driving member adapted to extend through said slot, means for holding said lead driving member in contact with said threaded member under spring tension and a shoulder formed on the forward end of .said operating member adapted to hold saidlead driving member against disengagement from {said operating member.

4. A pencil, including a threaded member, a lead driving member adapted to resiliently .engage the threads of said threaded memher,- the connection between the threads and the driving member being such that asharp blow against the writing lead in said pencil will cause said driver to slip over said threads, releasing the marking lead in a backward direction into said pencil to protect the marking lead in said pencil.

5. A pencil, including a threaded lead pro pelling means comprising, a resilient thread engaging means forming the lead carrier of said'propelling means, the connection between sald resilient engaging means and the threads of the propelling means being such as to allow the resilient means to ride over the threads of the propelling means when the marking lead is struck a sharp blow.

6. A pencil, including a barrel, formed of thin tubing, a conical forward end, a tubular threaded member rigidly held in said barrel with the forward end engaging said conical end, a removable tubular member having an engagin end projecting out of the rear end of said pencil, a longitudinal slot formed in said removable member, a

lead driving member adapted to operate in said slot, a spring tongue formed on the rear means including a removable operating.

member, a resilient lead -driving member adapted to form spring engaging means between said operating member and the parts associated therewith and means'for holding said tubular member nd lead driving member collectively removable with the marking lead from said pencil.

8. A pencil, comprising a lead propelling means, a lead driving member adapted to resiliently engage said propelling means, a removable tubular member adapted to operate said driving member and means for holding said tubular member and lead driving mem- .ber collectively removable with the marking lead from said pencil.

9. A pencil lead propelling means including a threaded member, a spring lead 'propelling member adapted to engage said threaded member under spring tension, and releasable from said threaded member to move longitudinally when more than writ? ing pressure is exerted against the lead.

10. A pencil having a screw' lead propelling means and means adapted to slip and hold the lead concealed in said pencil by a non-rotary longitudinal movement when extreme ressure is exerted against the lead.

11. pencil having a barrel, an operating portion withdrawableto indicate the length of unused lead remaining in said barrel and a lead carrier having spring meansadapted to form frictional means-to prevent free.

sliding of said withdrawable portion.

12. -A pencil including a barrel, a leadpropelling means comprising a removable operating'member, a lead driving member adapted to form a stop to limit the with drawing of said operating member from said .barrel and spring means associated with means cooperating with the carrier to permit shift of the carrier inthe direction of length of the pencil to vary the thread engagiement by pressure against the projected 14. In a pencil adapted to advance the lead by a threading action, and wherein the lead carrier is one of the threaded elements and adapted to normally engage the complemental threads of a pencil case element, means cooperating with the carrier to permit yielding of the latter to change the threaded relation independent of normal threading movement and in the presence of pressure applied against the lead.

15. In a pencil having a lead carrier shiftable to expose the lead at the writing point at will, means rendered active solely by the application of pressure against the projecting lead for restoring and retaining the lead to its housed position.

16. In a pencil having a lead carrier shiftable to expose the lead at the writing point at will, means rendered active, by the application of pressure exerted on the exposed v lead for restoring andretaining the lead to its housed position.

17 Ina pencil having a lead carrier shiftable to expose the lead at the writing point at will by a threading movement, means for restoring and retaining. the lead to its housed position by movement of the carrier independent of the threading movement.

18. Ina pencil having a lead carrier sh1ft-.

able to expose the lead at the writingv point,

said lead carrier being adapted to move alone to house the; lead when excess pressure is exerted against the projected end of carrier formed from a fiat thin piece ot material, resilient ends extending longitudinally from the ends of said carrier and means for operating said carrier.

21. A lead carrier for a mechanical pencil including a flat thin body portion and resilient means projecting longitudinally from the end thereof.

. 22. A lead carrier for a mechanical pencil including a body portion, resilient means extending from said body portion and lead retaining means on one end thereof, said carrier being adapted to be associated with an operating mechanism in a manner to propel it in either direction and said resilient means of said carrier allowing it to be re leased and slipped backward independent of the operating means.

23. In a pencil, a casing, a threaded memher, an operating member and compensating means adapted to form a uniform triction between said threaded member and said operating member and to form the lead engaging member of said pencil, the resilient portion of said compensating means extending longitudinally from the bodyportion thereof;

' HOWARD L. FISCHER. i 

